GIGABYTE, a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards today is pleased to announce their latest high performance X58 Series motherboards, the GA-EX58-EXTREME and GA-EX58-UD5 designed from the ground up to unleash the awesome power of Intel’s new Core i7 processors. Equipped with a host of new features including the new QPI interface, 3 channel DDR3 support, 3 Way SLI and CrossFireX support, Ultra Durable 3 technology and the industry’s most extensive range of overclocking features, the GIGABYTE X58 Series is bringing excitement back into the high performance motherboard industry.

The GIGABYTE X58 Series was designed specifically to take advantage of the raw power of the next generation Intel Core i7 processors and the Intel X58 Express chipset, whose new evolution in computing architecture is able to deliver an amazing performance break through from past processor generations. Replacing the Front Side Bus is the new Quick Path Interconnect, or QPI, whose 25.6 GB/sec transfer rate (double the bandwidth of the 1600MHz FSB) eliminates the communication bottleneck between the processor and chipset.

The Intel Core i7 processors also feature an integrated memory controller inside the processor die and support 192bit 3-channel DDR3 memory that delivers a 50% memory bandwidth enhancement and lower memory latency for incredibly fast memory access. Additionally, the GIGABYTE X58 Series features Intel Turbo Boost Technology, which is able to power down idle processor cores and dynamically reroute the power to the active cores for significant performance boosts, and at the same time, maintain greater energy efficiency.

Gamers, get ready for some serious frame rates as the GIGABYTE X58 Series delivers 3 PCIe x16 Gen2.0 slots, supporting both ATI CrossFireX and 3 Way NVIDIA SLI. Whether enabling the most powerful graphics configurations for extreme multi-GPU gaming, or multiple display support for up to 6 monitors, the GIGABYTE X58 Series has your 3 way graphics action covered.

The GIGABYTE X58 Series is yet another example of GIGABYTE engineering at its best with its revolutionary GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 3 design, featuring 2 ounces of copper for both the Power and Ground layers which dramatically lowers system temperature by delivering a more efficient spreading of heat from critical areas of the motherboard such as the CPU power zone throughout the entire PCB. GIGABYTE’s Ultra Durable 3 also lowers the PCB impedance by 50%, which helps to reduce electrical waste and further lowers component temperatures. A 2oz Copper layer design also provides improved signal quality and lower EMI (Electromagnetic Interference), providing better system stability and allowing for greater margins for overclocking.

In addition to the “cool blue” new look and feel of the GIGABTYE X58 Series, the GIGABYTE GA-EX58-EXTREME motherboard now features the revolutionary new GIGABYTE Hybrid Silent-Pipe 2, a fusion thermal solution that combines GIGABYTE’s proprietary screen cooling technology, external heat sink and liquid cooling with chipset water block to deliver maximum thermal performance. The GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD5 features specially designed chipset heat sinks and high performance copper heat pipe with sintered process to provide ultra efficient thermal conductivity making sure your system runs ultra cool and ultra stable.

Breaking overclock records is what GIGABYTE X58 Series motherboards are all about, with friendly overclocking features such as Precision OV (Hardware Overvoltage Control IC), Debug LED, onboard Power and back panel clear CMOS switches. Additionally, the GIGABYTE X58 Series features comprehensive BIOS options for reaching higher limits with more detailed settings, including CPU frequency stepping, Over Voltage increments, memory multipliers and advanced memory timing controls, making it easier than ever to tweak the highest levels of extreme overclocking performance from your system.

If I go i7, I think this may be the board I choose. I wouldn't use the Extreme cooler, so I could put a X-Fi Titanium in the 1x slot, and then I could put a controller card in the 4x slot (if budget allows), and still ahve plenty of room for 3 gfx cards. I really like this layout.